Military

DATE=4/29/02

TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

TITLE=JONATHAN ADELMAN/ISRAEL

NUMBER=3-154

BYLINE=TOM CROSBY

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

HOST:

Jonathan Adelman is a long-time Middle East watcher at the University of Denver. He believes the U-S plan to end the siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters is a good deal for the United States. But he wonders about the details of the plan...particularly those that call for U-S and British soldiers to guard Palestinian prisoners wanted by Israel:

MR. ADELMAN:

Some things, at this hour, they may have been resolved, but they are a little unclear. One is that one of the prisoners was sentenced to 18 years in jail, and are we really committing ourselves to guarding this person for the next 18 years?

Secondly, the trial itself, by international standards, was hardly credible. Are we really going to confirm those sentences, or whatever?

And thirdly, what are the terms for Yasser Arafat? Clearly, he is supposed to be able to travel now through the West Bank and Gaza, but does that mean he is going to be able to travel abroad? And if he travels abroad, is he going to be able to return?

I think all of these things are questionable. Plus, since a number of the jails have vanished in the recent Israeli military incursion, are we committed to building a model jail? None of these issues are apparent at this moment. Presumably, they have all been discussed, and hopefully the details will become evident over time.

HOST:

Jonathan Adelman says from the Israeli standpoint, the idea of keeping Yasser Arafat confined to his compound has just about outlived its usefulness.

MR. ADELMAN:

Well, I think that at this point both sides recognize that there is nothing more to be gained. The Palestinians, especially Arafat, have gained stature on the Arab street, and, from the Israeli point of view, they never were realistically going to hold him captive for the rest of his life; they wanted Arafat to become accountable for what he did. So, I think both sides can feel that this is a reasonable deal -- for the Palestinians, that Mr. Arafat now gets to travel; for the Israelis, that the four accused here, and sentenced, actually are going to go to jail for a significant period of time. So, I think both sides can feel good about the deal.

HOST:

Jonathan Adelman is a long-time Middle East watcher at the University of Denver.

NEB/TC/SAB